MONTANA HOUSE DISTRICT 9
State House Representative – the office of state representative serves in the Montana legislature’s lower house. There are 100 representatives who are elected from districts. Representatives are elected to 2-year terms. Representatives propose and vote on proposed laws during the legislative sessions that meet for 90 days in odd-numbered years, and provide oversight of state agencies and study issues through interim committees that meet between sessions. Representatives are limited to four consecutive 2-year terms.
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STEVEN C KELLY
(Rep)
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JOANNE MORROW
(Dem)
Question 1:
Please briefly provide the following information: place (town or county and state) of birth, age as of election day 2024, place (town or county) of permanent residency, occupation/employer, and education. How do these things and your other life experiences qualify you to be an effective legislator?
Question 2:
What do you consider to be the most pressing issues facing Montana heading into the 2025 session and what legislation would you propose and/or support to address these issues?
Question 3:
Many Montanans are concerned about rising residential property taxes, which primarily fund local government services such as schools, counties and city/town programs but are calculated through a system set by the Legislature. What changes to the state tax system, if any, would you support to provide property tax relief while maintaining sufficient revenue for essential services?
Question 4:
Considering the state’s role in mental and physical health care services, especially in helping cover the costs of services available to lower-income Montanans, what additional steps, if any, do you believe the Legislature should take to enhance health care access and promote Montanans’ health?
Question 5:
Many education leaders are concerned that the state’s existing school funding formula isn’t keeping up with the costs of educating students. What proposals, if any, would you support to ensure adequate and sustainable long-term funding is available for public pre-K–12, college/university, and vocational education programs?
San Louis Obispo, Ca. I live in Kalispell, Mt. I am a retired Sheriff' Deputy from Washoe County, Reno Nv. I retired at the rank of Captain. I have a Masters Degree in Management and a Bachelors Degree in Business Management. My place of birth has little impact since I haven't lived there since I was one. During my career in interacted with county and state governments frequently. I proposed legislation and had to contend with the changes in legislation, both good and bad. At my retirement I was managing a 34 million dollar budget and two years in a row I turned money back to the Sheriff's main budget. Since my retirement I worked for a company that wrote policy for Public Safety in multiple states and am familiar with reading the law.
Taxes (see below), illegal immigration, fixing our mental health system.
Illegal immigration is impacting Montana as it is being used as the vehicle by which much of the illegal drugs are being smuggled in to our state. In addition some employers are using illegal immigrants as labor to unfairly compete with business of more integrity. We need to pass laws that deter their presence in our state and make hiring them illegal.
Our mental health system is failing, this is obvious when Warm Springs was delicensed. The result is when Law Enforcement encounters the mentally ill they often charge them and jail them instead of sending them into the state mental health system which has no bed space. This results in less space in our jails.
First the Montana property owner must be protected from the unpredictable swings in property values and the value assessment system. For the purposes of taxes the property values need to be frozen. The state needs to further diversify its tax structure so no single source carries the burden of funding services. This state is abundant in natural resources, but our efficient use of these (a source of tax revenue) has been hampered by overzealous environmental concerns. We need to offer reasonable solutions so that these resources are reengaged as part of our economy. Tourism is bringing billions of dollars to this state, but there is also an impact to our services and roads. We need to expand how we collect fees from those who come to visit.
We should revisit the Medicaid Expansion, with an eye towards assuring that the benefits are only going to those who truly qualify. Our tax dollars are precious. Just consider the concerns many property owners are expressing about the current increases. We need to make sure that we deliver these services efficiently and helping improve the recipients quality of life so they no longer must depend on these services.
I think part of the problem is that many taxes payers are unsatisfied with what they see is going on in education and are unwilling to pay more for what they see as a broken system. I have spoken to many parents who are disturbed by what they see as the promotion of alternate sexual life styles and transgenderism in our education system. Our schools need to return to their core function and that is teaching them the skills to be productive members of our society i.e.: reading, writing, history, arithmetic, science. etc. Voters feel disenfranchised from their school boards who tend to be dominated by people from one side of the political spectrum. As long as these issues continue, funding will be difficult.
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